1940s Di Mauro Special Chorus de Luxe

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Antoine Di Mauro was part of the mass emigration of master Sicilian
luthiers (Oliveri, Anastasio, etc) who left Catania in the early
20th century. In the 1930s Di Mauro and his countrymen setup a series
of shops on the East side of Paris and quickly adapted their skills to
making jazz guitars in the Selmer Maccaferri style. Di Mauro was
certainly one of the most successful and long lasting of these
Franco-Sicilian luthiers as his guitars were widely adopted by players
of many styles. Di Mauro guitars were produced continuously until the
early 90s, first by Antoine and then later by his son Joseph. Notable
players include Moreno, Boulou Ferre, Patrick Saussois, Samy Daussat,
Jean-Yves Dubanton, and even Pat Metheny!

Of all the models Di
Mauro produced, the Special Chorus is easily their most well known
design. A hybrid of American archtop and Selmer Maccaferri designs, the
Special Chorus combines the Maccaferri style body and bent top with
archtop style F soundholes. The result is a guitar that has the acoustic
power of a traditional Gypsy guitar but with the midrange focus and
clarity of an archtop.

This is the de luxe version of the Special
Chorus, hence it was built with the highest quality materials and
features more ornate details then you'll find on Di Mauro's more
pedestrian models. The back and sides are
maple, the top is spruce, and the neck is built in the typical
Franco-Italian style by combing mahogany with a rosewood spline for
reinforcement. Aesthetic upgrades include the diamond shaped MOP
fingerboard inlays, ivoroid side and soundhole binding, an ivoroid arm
rest, and a striking sunburst finish. The original nickel SB tuners and
distinctive Di Mauro tailpiece are still intact. It's a real looker and onstage it's nothing short of a Gypsy jazz fashion statement.

Sonically this
guitar is an absolute treasure! We find that once a guitar passes the
age of 60, something very special happens to the tone. Guitars of this
age posses a mature sound that is dry and clear, with a unique character
that only age can bring. This wonderful Di Mauro is a perfect example
of this phenomenon as it yields a sublime tone that greener guitars
lack. In addition to being quite loud, this instrument is most
memorable for its midrange focus and clarity. Chords are very punchy and
the superior highend response produces single note lines are spicy and
crisp. I find this guitar and absolute joy to play and I think you will
too.

The condition very good, especially considering the guitar's
age. There are a few cracks on the treble side of the top. One on the lower
bout which isn't very deep and looks like it was repaired with just a
little glue. A larger crack runs from the the middle of the f hole to
the rim and was cleated. There is also another crack from the top of the
treble f hole to the cutaway and that was cleated as well. The MOP
fingerboard inlay at the 14th fret looks like it was replaced as it doesn't
match the color of the other inlays. The guitar was completely restored,
including new frets. It plays perfectly, with low 2.8mm action.

The
Di Mauro Special Chorus de Luxe model is exceedingly rare so don't miss
this opportunity to own an instrument that not only has an impressive
pedigree, but sounds great as well!

This is the CASH price...add 3% if you'd like to pay with a credit card. Add 4% for international credit card orders.